Robert Forbes Felton (12 August 1911 – 21 October 1972), known professionally as Felix Felton, was a British film, television, stage and voice actor as well as a radio director, composer and author.

Radio work

In his earlier years Felton considered becoming a professional pianist, a composer or a classical scholar, but instead chose to become an actor. At

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

where he studied Music he was President of the

Oxford University Dramatic Society The Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England. Not all student productions at Oxford University a ...

. He began his acting career as Bottom in

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his radically innovative and avant-gard ...

's production of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

''. He joined

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

in 1934 where he was a producer, actor and director until 1948, producing ''Calling Germany'' in 1943 and directing a

production of

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

's ''

Candida Candida, or Cándida (Spanish), may refer to: Biology and medicine * ''Candida'' (fungus), a genus of yeasts ** Candidiasis, an infection by ''Candida'' organisms * Malvasia Candida, a variety of grape Places * Candida, Campania, a ''comu ...

'' in 1946, among others. In 1941 he was a Senior Instructor on the BBC's 'General Broadcasting Technique' course which included

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

as a student when he joined the BBC's Overseas Service. He resigned from his post at the BBC in 1948 in order to concentrate on a career as a freelance writer and actor. In 1957 he adapted

Rosemary Sutcliff Rosemary Sutcliff (14 December 1920 – 23 July 1992) was an English novelist best known for children's books, especially historical fiction and retellings of myths and legends. Although she was primarily a children's author, some of her novel ...

's '' The Eagle of the Ninth'' in six episodes for BBC ''

Children's Hour ''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting. ''Childre ...

'' with himself playing the part of Guern the hunter. In 1961 he also adapted

's '' The Lantern Bearers'' into a six-part series for ''

'' for

; In 1962 he adapted her book '' Dawn Wind'' for radio and himself played the role of Einon Hen. Felton adapted ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four Detective fiction, crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serial (literature), serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from ...

'' into ''Baskervilles Hund'' which was broadcast on Danish radio in January 1964. In 1965, together with Susan Ashman, he adapted ''

Quo Vadis ''Quo vadis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you going?". It is commonly translated, quoting the KJV translation of John 13:36, as "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter's fi ...

'' by

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish epic writer. He is remembered for his historical novels, such as The Trilogy, the Trilogy series and especially ...

as a ten part serial for the

BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...

. In this major radio drama production he played the prominent role of Gaius Petronius Arbiter the adviser and confidant of the Roman Emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

Acting career

Theatre

Felton's stage appearances included the speaking-role of

Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

in a concert version of ''

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

'' and broadcast by BBC Radio from

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

in 1949, ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel '' 7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his chor ...

'' at the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, City of Westminster, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the Lond ...

(1955), ''Nekrassov'' by

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

(1957), and

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser ( "lesser"; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls (musical), Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business ...

's musical ''

Where's Charley? ''Where's Charley?'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by George Abbott. The story was based on the 1892 play '' Charley's Aunt'' by Brandon Thomas. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1948 and was revived on Broadway ...

'' with

Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010), was an English actor, comedian, musician, and singer, best known for his series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966, in which he portrayed the endearingly inept charact ...

at the Palace Theatre in London in 1958.

Film

His film roles included Councillor in ''

Lady Godiva Rides Again ''Lady Godiva Rides Again'' (U.S. title: ''Bikini Baby'') is a 1951 British comedy film starring Pauline Stroud, George Cole and Bernadette O'Farrell, with British stars in supporting roles or making cameo appearances. It concerns a small-tow ...

'' (1951), Foreman of the Jury in '' Night Was Our Friend'' (1951), Dr Slammer in ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was the Debut novel, first novel serialised from March 1836 to November 1837 by English author Charles Dickens. Because of his success with ''Sketches by Bo ...

'' (1952), Boxing Promoter in ''

The Gambler and the Lady ''The Gambler and the Lady'' is a 1952 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Dane Clark, Kathleen Byron and Naomi Chance. It was written by Newfield and produced by Hammer Films, filmed at Bray Studios ...

'' (1952), Governor in ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of sati ...

'' (1953), Closterman in '' My Death is a Mockery'' (1952), Mr Patch in '' Our Girl Friday'' (1953), Alfred (uncredited) in ''

The Million Pound Note ''The Million Pound Note'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gregory Peck, Ronald Squire, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Jane Griffiths (actress), Jane Griffiths. It is based on the 1893 Mark Twain short story "The Mi ...

'' (1954), Examiner (uncredited) in ''

Doctor in the House Doctor in the House may refer to: * Doctor in the House (novel), ''Doctor in the House'' (novel), a 1952 novel by Richard Gordon ** Doctor in the House (film), ''Doctor in the House'' (film), a 1954 British film adaptation of the novel *** Doctor i ...

'' (1954), '' Man of the Moment'' (1955), Bar customer in ''

Confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of people – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information that ...

'' (1955), Police Commissaire in ''

Escapement An escapement is a mechanical linkage in mechanical watches and clocks that gives impulses to the timekeeping element and periodically releases the gear train to move forward, advancing the clock's hands. The impulse action transfers energy to t ...

'' (''The Electronic Monster'' in the USA) (1960), Mayor in ''

It's Trad, Dad! ''It's Trad, Dad!'' (U.S. title: ''Ring-A-Ding Rhythm'') is a 1962 British musical comedy film directed by Richard Lester in his feature directorial debut. It stars singer and actress Helen Shapiro alongside Craig Douglas, John Leyton, the ...

'' (1962), Dr George Thomas in '' Doctor at Sea'' (1955), Uncle in ''

Pacific Destiny ''Pacific Destiny'' is a 1956 British drama film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Denholm Elliott, Susan Stephen and Michael Hordern. It was written by Richard Mason and Jack Lee based on the 1952 memoir ''A Pattern of Islands'' by Sir Ar ...

'' (1956), Reform Club member (uncredited) in '' Around the World in 80 Days'' (1956), Man in Cinema in '' Just My Luck'' (1957), First Gambler (uncredited) in ''

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll ''The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll'' (released in the US as ''House of Fright'') is a 1960 British horror film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Paul Massie, Dawn Addams, Christopher Lee and Oliver Reed. It was produced by Michael Carreras ...

'' (1960), Farm Patient (uncredited) in '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963), Tetchkinov in '' Licensed to Kill'' (1965), Second Minister in ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 children's film, children's Musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, ...

'' (1968), and Cellar Proprietor (uncredited) in ''

The Assassination Bureau ''The Assassination Bureau Limited'' (also known ''The Assassination Bureau'' in the United States) is a 1969 British Technicolor black comedy adventure film, produced by Michael Relph, directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Oliver Reed, Dian ...

'' (1969).

Television

Television roles included the Archbishop of Rheims in '' Saint Joan'' for '' BBC Sunday-Night Theatre'' (1951), Lord Cantlemere in '' The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone'' (1951), Soames the butler in ''The Great Detective'' (1953), Louis XVIII in ''The Lost King'' (1958), Aylmer - Member of Drug Cartel in ''H. G. Wells' Invisible Man'' (1958), ''

The Third Man ''The Third Man'' is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, Alida Valli as Anna Schmidt, Orson Welles as Harry Lime and Trevor Howard as Major Calloway. Set in post-Worl ...

'' (1959), Mr. Petheridge in ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'' (1962), ''

Maigret Jules Maigret (), or simply Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, a '' commissaire'' ("commissioner") of the Paris ''Brigade Criminelle'' ('' Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres''), created ...

'' (1962), Demaris in '' Ghost Squad'' (1964), Major Culcao in "The Third Bullet" episode of '' Crane'' (1964), Dr. Grimesby Roylott in ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

'' (1964), Philip Clewes in an episode of ''

The Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of United Kingdom, British television plays which ran on BBC One, BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic ...

'' (1965), Abram Gobseck in '' The Rise and Rise of Cesar Birotteau'' (1965), Colonel Krauss in ''

The Good Soldier Schweik ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'', St. Laurent in '' The Troubleshooters'' (1966), Alderman Adam Sweater in ''

The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists ''The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists'' is a 1914 semi-autobiographical novel by Irish house painter and sign writer Robert Noonan, who wrote the book in his spare time under the pen name Robert Tressell. Published after Tressell's death fro ...

'' (1967), an episode of ''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Ca ...

'' (1968), and Richard Warde in ''

The Shadow of the Tower ''The Shadow of the Tower'' is a historical drama that was broadcast on BBC2 in 1972. It was a prequel to the earlier serials '' The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' and ''Elizabeth R'' and featured several actors who had appeared in them (but in new ro ...

'' (1972).

Voice actor

As a voice actor he played the Mayor in the radio adaptation of S. G. Hulme Beaman's book ''

Toytown Toytown is the name given to a series of radio plays written by Sydney George Hulme Beaman, S.G. Hulme Beaman and broadcast by the BBC from 1929 to 1932, 28 of which regularly repeated on ''Children's Hour'' until 1964, by which point it had ...

'' for

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's ''

'' in the 1930s,Felton
on the

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

and provided various voices in the first radio series of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

'' in 1955 and 1956 for the

. He was the

Ghost of Christmas Present The Ghost of Christmas Present is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits that appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of Redemption (theology), redemption. ...

in the 1971 animated film ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' and in the same year he narrated the

Radio 4 programme ''What Did You Do in the War Felix?'', concerning the work of

BBC Radio Bristol BBC Radio Bristol is the BBC's local radio station serving the cities of Bristol and Bath and the unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.''What Did You Do in the War Felix?'' (1971) from the BBC Archive website
/ref> He wrote two orchestral suites which were played by the London Philharmonic and other orchestras. Felix Felton died in London in 1972 aged 61.

Filmography

*''

'' (1951) - Councillor *'' Night Was Our Friend'' (1951) - Foreman of the Jury *'' My Death Is a Mockery'' (1952) - Closterman *''

'' (1952) - Dr. Slammer *''

'' (1952) - Boxing Promoter (scenes deleted) *''

'' (1953) - Governor *'' Our Girl Friday'' (1953) - Mr. Patch *''

'' (1954) - Alfred (uncredited) *''

'' (1954) - Examiner (uncredited) *''

'' (1955) - The Business Man *'' Doctor at Sea'' (1955) - Dr George Thomas *'' Man of the Moment'' (1955) - Foreign Office File Seeker (uncredited) *''

'' (1956) - Uncle *'' The Weapon'' (1956) - Oscar Smithson *'' Around the World in 80 Days'' (1956) - Reform Club Member (uncredited) *'' Just My Luck'' (1957) - Man in Cinema *''

'' (1958) - Police Commissaire *''

'' (1960) - First Gambler (uncredited) *''

'' (1962) - Mayor *'' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) - Health Farm Patient (uncredited) *'' Licensed to Kill'' (1965) - Tetchkinov *''

'' (1968) - Minister #2 *''

'' (1969) - Beer Cellar Proprietor (uncredited) *''Up in the Air'' (1969) - Sir Humphrey

Publications

*''The Radio-Play - Its Technique and Possibilities'', Sylvan Press (1949) *''Thomas Love Peacock'', Allen and Unwin (1973)

References

External links

*
Profile of Felton an aveleyman.comFelton on The Swedish Film DatabaseFelton
on the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Felton, Felix 1911 births 1972 deaths Alumni of the University of Oxford English male film actors English male television actors English male stage actors English male voice actors 20th-century English male actors